Intravenous therapy training aid



Feb. 3, 1959 M. w. POOLE 2,871,584

INTAVENOUS THERAPY TRAINING AID Filed March 25,- 1957 United States Fatent 2,871,584 l INTRAVENOUS THERAPY TRAINING AID Marcus W. Poole, United States Army Application March 25, 1957, Serial No. 648,447

Claims. (Cl. 35--17) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. 'Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to intravenous injection and blood withdrawal training aids. More particularly, the invention refers to an improved device simulating a human arm having a rubber or latex tube therein which is included in an open system designed to permit the flow of fluid through the tube in a manner simulating the bodily ow of blood through veins. It has been found that the open system, hereinafter described, alleviates tube leakage found in training aids utilizing the closed system, i. e. tubes having a closed end. This leakage causes discoloring of the soft material utilized in the arm portion to support the tube. The open system also eliminates the air bleeding required of the closed system to ill the tube.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a training arm for teaching intravenous therapy which has an open system of duid flow through the training arms simulated veins.

Another object of this invention is to provide a training arm having an open system of iluid flow which permits operators to perform without interruption a series of Vintravenous operations.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a training arm having the above objects which permits continuous instruction in the theory and techniques of intravenous therapy under conditions closely sirnulating actual bodily conditions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a training arm having an open system of fluid flow which permits continuous use of the training 'arm for practice in either blood withdrawal or intravenous injection techniques.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be appreciated readily as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein- Fig. l is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the device taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device having a portion of the housing cut away to disclose the syringe assembly in detail;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View of the device taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional View of the viewing connector tube used in the present invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, in which corresponding reference numerals represent corre sponding parts in each of the several views, the embodiment of the invention illustrated therein comprises a housing having a base 12 in the form of a flat plate adapted to rest upon a horizontal surface (Fig. 2). As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, a body member 20 is spaced upwardly from Cil 2,871,584 Patented Feb. 3, 1959 ICC the base 12 by spacer members 14, and inwardly from the ends of the base 12. The body member 20 is shaped in the form of a portion of the anatomy, namely, the human forearm, terminating at ends 22 and 24 (Fig. 2). The body member 20 is made of wood or other form retaining material and preferably covered with a layer 26 of soft material such as felt (Figs. 2 and 4). This soft material 26 is provided with channels 28 adapted to receive loosely flexible conduits 30 and 32 of latex or other suitable material.

A skin-like diaphanous membrane 34, fabricated of vinyl resin or other suitable material, comformably covers bodyl member 20, layer 26, and conduits 3@ and 32, to form therewith a simulated portion of the human forearm including veins. A rubber tourniquet 36 is carried by the completed body member adjacent to end 24 of the member (Figs. l, 2, and 3). The conduits 30 and 32 have ends communicating with a drainage bottle 4d. These ends are hereinafter referred to as the upper ends. The other or lower ends of conduits 30 and 32 communicate with a pair of reservoirs 50 and 52, which conveniently may be syringes having plungers 54 and 55, respectively, movable therein. The conduits 30 and 32 extend from the `drainage bottle 40 along the upper surface of the body member 20, around end 22 of the body member to the lower surface of the body member and along this lower surface to the syringes 5t) and 52 (Figs. 2 and 3), to form two independent open circulatory systems. The portions of the conduits 30 and 32 extending along the upper surface of the body member 2t) are provided with transparent connectors and 72 made of glass or other suitable material which may be viewed more clearly through openings provided in the membrane 34. The connectors are positioned adjacent to ends 22 'and 24 (Figs. 1 and 2).

The housing 10 (Figs. l, 2', and 3) is made of Wood or any other suitable material and extends rearwardly beyond the body member 20 where it rises abruptly above end 24 of the body member 20. Reservoirs or syringes 5t) and 52 are supported by top 16 of the housing itt adjacent to end` 24 of the body member 20 land have their outlet ends disposed within the housing 10, each in cornmunication with a respective one of the lower ends of conduits 30 and 32. Door 18 is hingedly mounted to provide easy access to the interior of the housing, the door being normally retained by a latch or suitable fastener 19. The housing 10 is also adapted vto receive the drainage bottle or container 40 as shown in Fig. 2. The drainage bottle is closedwith a stopper 42 supporting a pair of hollow tubes 44 and 46 (Fig. 3) which may be of glass. The tubes extend from a point near the bottom of the drainage bottle and through the stopper where the' ends communicate with the upper ends of conduits 3() and 32. The stopper 42 is also provided with an opening to permit air at atmospheric pressure to reach the surface of the liquid within the bottle. This passage may-be provided by a hollow needle 48 piercing stopper 42.

The How of simulated blood through the veins of my invention enables realistic training in the techniques of both intravenous injection and blood withdrawal not heretofore realized in the prior art static or closed systems.

To prepare the device for intravenous injection, the drainage bottle 40 is removed from the housing 10, and fluid, preferably colored to simulate blood, is introduced therein. cient to till a conduit 30 or 32 and partially iill a syringe 50 or 52 while maintaining the ends of tubes 44 and 46 submerged when the apparatus is in condition for operation.

In operation, a syringe plunger 54 or 56 is lifted -to fill ,its respective conduit and part of its respective syringe- The volume of fluid required should 'be suliif 3 with uid from the bottle positioned as in Figs. 2 or 3. Upon release of the plunger, the pressure resulting from the duid in the syringe beingelevated above the level of the fluid remaining in the drainage bottle, causes the duid to. iiow 'from ythe syringe through the conduit into the drainage bottle.

During this return liow, a student Vmay practice intrave nous injection under realistic conditions. Before the plunger is released, tourniquet 36 is applied, causing distention of the conduit, as in actual practice. The intravenous needle (not shown) connected to a source liquid to be injected, is then inserted into the distended conduit. The pressure in the conduit causes the bloodA to back up slightly into the intravenous needle, as it does in actual practice. The tou-rniquet is then re' .and the liquid to be injected ows through the intraven` 5;: needle into the conduit Where it `mixes with the now ilov ing blood and passes into the drainage bottle. By making the intravenous liquid ol?l a color different from that of the bloodf the student can view the action taking place during the operation through transparent connectors 79 and 72.

The consecutive number of operations which may `e performed is limited only by the size of the drainage bottle; however, as the drainage bottle can be replaced easily and quickly there is no actual limitation o-n the number of injections that can be performed on the demon strating arm.

When used to teach blood withdrawal techniques, the apparatus is operated in a similar manner, the student merely using. a Syringe to Withdraw blood from the system instead of the intravenous needle to supply liquid. As beiore, the duid flow Within the conduit causes disten tion of the conduit when the tourniquet is applied, sirnulating the natural condition. Blood may be added to the bottle 40 as needed during the course of the training period.

After the latex conduits have been punctured so as to prevent further use, the skin-like membrane may be removed and the portion of the conduit between connectors 74B and 72. replaced with a fresh length of tubing.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail for the purposes of complete understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made Within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and wish to -secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A medical training aid for practice of intravenousY injection and blood withdrawal comprising a member shaped to resemble a part o fa human body, a skin-like covering surrounding said member, a resilient conduit simulating a human vein arranged beneath said covering and along the length ofY saidmember, a drainage container having a fluid therein connected to said conduit, a syringe connected to said conduit for withdrawing duid from said container through said conduit, and means mounted on said member for stopping the return ilow of iluid from said syringe intol said container.

2. A medical training aid for practice of intravenous injection .and blood Withdrawal comprising a base, a member simulating a human arm mounted on said base, a skin-like material covering said member, a 'ileXible conduit simulating a human blood vessel' arranged beneath said material and disposed along the length of said member, a syringe mounted in said base at one end of said member and connected tol said conduit, a drainage -bottle containing a duid connected to said conduit and so arranged that upon operati-on of the syringe, uid is introduced into said syringe to a level above that of the fluid level within the bottle.

3. The device of claim 2 further comprising a tour-ni'- quet mounted on said base for constricting said member to prevent uid new from said syringe t-o said bottle.

4. An intravenous therapy training. aid comprising a base, a' box-like structure mounted on one end ot said base and having top and side walls, a member shaped to simulate a human arm mounted on said base, one end of said member abutting a side wall of said structure, a flexible conduit simulating a human vein disposed along said member, a skin-like membrane covering said member and said conduit, a syringe having an output end and a plunger mounted in the other end .rigidly supported by said top wall in a vertical position, the output end thereof being disposed Within said structure above said base, means connecting said conduit with the output end of said syringe for iiuid flow therebetween, a drainage bottle containing a fluid simulating human blood, and means connectingsaid conduit to said bottle for fluid llow therebetween, said drainage bottle being so disposed lwith ree spect to said syringe that upon operation of said plunger, uid is drawn into said syringe to a level which results in reverse dow back through said conduit into said bottle when the plunger is released.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a flexible element mounted on said base for constricting said conduit to prevent fluid ow therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,324,702 Hoffmann July 20, 1943 2,686,374A Niiranen --.p A ug.l1,7, 1954 2,752,697 Lawall July-3, 1956 

